Book Celebration Virtual Conference

Amy C. Hudnall’s
“German Prisoners of the Second World War in the United States”

(Routledge, 2026)
June 28, 2026, Sunday (12-3PM EDT)
[Virtual room opens at 11:45am EDT]
Attendance is FREE, but RSVP is required

Registration form

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?

German Prisoners of the Second World War in the United States examines the complex lives of German POWs held on American soil during WWII, exploring camp policies, internal conflicts, and their lasting impact on prisoner mental health.

This comprehensive historical analysis reveals the untold story of German POWs through archival materials from British, American, Red Cross, and German sources. Readers will discover how problematic camp policies created dangerous conditions, while internal warfare between Nazi minorities and mainstream German soldiers led to violence and murder within the camps. The book examines the British-American partnership that shaped the camp system, explores the psychological trauma experienced by prisoners, and evaluates how Americans attempted to balance security with humane treatment. A compelling comparative analysis contrasts WWII POW care with contemporary treatment of prisoners from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, offering insights into the evolution of prisoner treatment and raising important questions about future POW policies.

This book will resonate with historians, mental health professionals, psychohistorians, and trauma researchers interested in the intersection of state violence, captivity, and psychological injury. Its archival depth and cross-disciplinary lens make it essential reading for those exploring PTSD history, the psychodynamics of captivity, and the long-term consequences of wartime policy decisions.

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Introduction

With over 400,000 German and Italian POWs held on American soil in the 1940s, this chapter introduces the WWII POW system in the United States and the organizational structure of the book. Drawing on primary source material gathered from archives in Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, and the United States, it fills a significant gap in the historical record — one largely unaddressed by general scholarship for more than 50 years.

2. International Law and the POW

This chapter traces the development of international humanitarian law, focusing on the 1929 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and its profound influence on WWII POW life. It examines how America interpreted and responded to these legal frameworks — decisions with far-reaching consequences for both prisoners and camp administrators.

3. A Brief Overview of Camp Policy and Life

This chapter traces how German soldiers became prisoners and what awaited them upon arrival — camps that, despite their purpose, often struck war-weary soldiers as unexpectedly comfortable. It outlines the philosophies that guided camp management and previews five major policy problems that shaped the rest of the book.

4. A Flood of Prisoners

This chapter examines the movement of German POWs from Europe and Africa to the United States, and the Anglo-American agreements that shaped how many arrived and in what condition. It compares Allied intake and interrogation policies, showing how those early differences affected prisoners’ psychological state and capacity to adapt to camp life.

5. Policy Problems

Despite close collaboration, British and American segregation policies diverged significantly — and America’s decision not to adopt British practices had serious, sometimes deadly, consequences. This chapter details the problems that emerged from American segregation policies and traces how both militaries’ approaches evolved across the war.

6. [Un]Foreseen Consequences

Expanding on the policy failures introduced in earlier chapters, this chapter examines four key areas — camp organizational structure, personnel, segregation, and fraternization — to show how America’s disregard for British expertise led to disastrous outcomes for POWs and administrators alike.

7. Germans and Americans

Drawing on personal interviews, this chapter explores the complex and often contradictory ways Americans perceived German POWs — from cultural affinity rooted in shared heritage to fear and hostility. It examines how a strict non-fraternization policy shaped these relationships, with consequences that continue to reverberate in both Germany and the United States.

8. Employing Prisoners of War and the American Economy

German POW labor played a largely unacknowledged role in sustaining the American wartime economy — and in laying the groundwork for the postwar economic boom. This chapter documents the scope of the POW work program and assesses its fiscal and social impact, arguing that without it, critical sectors of American industry would have faltered.

9. Recreation

Captivity without structure is a psychological risk factor — research shows that idle prisoners show significantly higher rates of depression, violence, and suicide. This chapter explores the wide-ranging recreation programs the American camp system developed to fulfill Geneva Convention requirements, reduce violence, and mitigate the onset of mental illness among prisoners.

10. A Bird’s Eye View

This chapter applies the book’s broader findings to two specific camps — Camp Concordia in Kansas and Camp Campbell in Kentucky — comparing how each handled segregation, violence, and administration. Notably, both camps attracted devoted postwar followings among former POWs who credited them with transformative effects on their lives.

11. War Rages Unchecked

Using court testimony, sworn interviews, and eyewitness accounts, this chapter exposes the violent internal warfare waged by Nazi minorities within the camps — a regime of intimidation and murder so severe that American administrators came to call it the “Nazi terror machine.” It documents the lengths to which Nazi prisoners went to enforce ideological conformity and suppress dissent.

12. Trauma and the POW

This chapter traces the evolution of trauma diagnosis — from “soldier’s heart” in the Civil War through combat fatigue to PTSD — and applies that lens to the psychological damage endured by German POWs. Drawing on individual case studies, it examines captivity psychosis, complex trauma, and the factors that shaped how prisoners responded to abuse, violence, and prolonged confinement.

13. Reeducation at the War’s End

Fearing a resurgence of fascism, the Allied countries developed extensive reeducation programs in the war’s final year to prepare returning German POWs for democratic leadership. This chapter also examines a troubling postwar policy that defied the Geneva Convention: the use of German soldiers as forced labor in rebuilding France, Belgium, and Britain — keeping many from returning home until 1949.

14. Where Do We Go from Here?

The final chapter synthesizes the book’s findings, revisiting the Geneva Convention’s strengths and failures and weighing which American policies succeeded or caused harm. It takes the analysis a step further, linking the lessons of the POW camps to broader questions of state violence and our collective responsibilities toward all people caught in the machinery of war.

ORDER THIS BOOK

From the Publisher:
https://www.routledge.com/German-Prisoners-of-the-Second-World-War-in-the-United-States/Hudnall/p/book/9781041158035?

From Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/German-Prisoners-Routledge-Studies-History/dp/1041158033

AUTHOR’S SHOT BIO:

Amy C. Hudnall, MA, is a Senior Lecturer in the Departments of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Appalachian State University, where she teaches online while residing in northern Montana. Her scholarship focuses on genocide, trauma, perpetrators, cross-cultural conflict, and the psychological consequences of war. A former Interim Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies, Hudnall combines archival research with extensive field experience. As a former Assistant Professor at Idaho State University’s Center for Rural Health, she helped pioneer the use of telemedicine in underserved and war-affected regions, contributed to the development of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) measure for burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress, and participated in disaster-response initiatives following Hurricane Katrina and the Southeast Asian tsunami. These experiences have profoundly shaped her research, teaching, and writing on trauma and human resilience. Hudnall has authored numerous articles and book chapters and has presented her work internationally. She may be contacted at hudnallac@appstate.edu.